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Franklyn Kilome, image- Jay Floyd Widely ranked among the Phillies' top 10 prospects , right-handed pitcher Franklyn Kilome was one of the most excited inclusions on the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws' roster heading into the season. A disappointing effort in the early going hasn't shaken the youngster's frame of mind though and he's focused on showing the skills that got him loads of attention. The Dominican Republic native, touting an upper-90's fastball, had an impressive campaign with the short-season A level Williamsport Crosscutters last year, posting a 3-2 record with a 3.28 ERA and a 6.6 K/9 mark in 11 regular season outings. This season did not get off on a similar foot for Kilome, however. In three starts for the BlueClaws, the 20-year-old has a 0-3 record along with a 15.83 ERA and a .435 batting average against. Control has been a concern for Kilome, as he has walked 10 batters in 9 2/3 innings. The poor numbers haven't fazed the young

Tobias, image- Jay Floyd Second baseman Josh Tobias has been an offensive catalyst for the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws thus far in the young season. The 23-year-old switch hitter entered action on Sunday among the South Atlantic League leaders in hits, batting average, OPS and RBI. A 10th round draft selection out of Florida last year, Tobias had a solid pro debut with short-season A level Williamsport, batting .321 with four home runs and 37 RBI in 61 games, helping to lead the Crosscutters into the playoffs. Recently, I chatted with the man known around the clubhouse as "Toby" about playing with Lakewood, players he looked up to as a child, how he spends his free time and plenty more. Read ahead for that interview. -You've got some teammates that have played in Lakewood before. Did anyone prepare you for what to expect before coming here in regards to the fans, the facilities or the town? Yeah, a lot of guys that are playing in Clearwater now talked to

Randolph, image- Jay Floyd Last week, I spoke with outfield prospect Cornelius Randolph , who prefers the nickname "C", and wrote a feature for the Shore Sports Network on last year's top Phillies draft pick working through some struggles at the plate to open the season. Below are some excerpts from that interview. -What are your thoughts on South Atlantic League competition thus far? It's pretty good. Yeah, I mean right now I'm not swinging the bat the best, but it'll come around and I'm trying to take it day by day. -What have you learned about the fans here in Lakewood, the facility, the park? Do guys that have been here before like Jiandido Tromp or Shane Watson help out and share some things with you to get you ready? I heard the fans-- this place packs out pretty much all the time. I've also heard-- well, I've seen that the field plays pretty big. Tromp has been talking to me about how to play the ball off the wall and how

Alfaro, image- Jay Floyd News broke on Tuesday afternoon that the hottest of the hot, as far as prospects go, is sidelined with an injury. Catcher Jorge Alfaro was placed on the disabled list retroactive to April 18th with an oblique strain, according to the team. The 22-year-old Colombian, who was acquired from Texas as part of last summer's Cole Hamels deal, had really impressed through the first couple weeks of the season, going 18-for-36 (.500 avg) with four doubles, a triple, a home run and 10 RBI. . @_JorgeAlfaro11 leads the Double-A @EasternLeague in hits w/ 18 in 8 games. 3 guys are tied for 2nd w/ 14 hits. Each has played 11 games. — Jay Floyd (@PhoulBallz) April 17, 2016 Disabled list stints in the minors are a minimum of 7-days, but oblique strains are difficult to fully recover from and players often miss more than a month or two while dealing with this type of injury. Alfaro was injured at the time of the trade last year, as he recovered from ank

Tyler Viza, image- Jay Floyd The Class A Advanced Clearwater Threshers have enjoyed some solid success on the mound in the early going this season. Combined, four members of the team's starting rotation ( Tyler Viza , Elniery Garcia , Thomas Eshelman and Ranfi Casimiro ) have combined for a 6-1 record and a 1.19 ERA through eight starts (two each). Additionally, another of the team's starters, Will Morris , entered action on Monday with a scoreless five inning appearance in his game log. This week I asked the righty Viza about his own success as well as the great efforts by his teammates. Phillies director of player development Joe Jordan and Clearwater third baseman Mitch Walding also offered their thoughts. Read ahead for the exclusive comments. Viza, who was the Phils' 32nd round draft pick in 2013, remarked about his consistent output- My success through the early part of the season started around the all-star break last year. Aaron Fultz and I had a c

Mitch Walding, image- Jay Floyd You've heard all the buzz names and how they're destined to help turn things around at the big league level for the Phillies, but an often overlooked prospect might be ready to claim his spot among those fast-rising impact players of the future. After making some necessary modifications at the plate with the help of a pair of former Phillies, third baseman Mitch Walding has been making quite a splash in the early going for the Class A Advanced Clearwater Threshers. "I went to instructs for 10 days this off-season.  While I was there, Andy Tracy , Rob Ducey and I put together a hitting plan there.  We worked on a new load with my hands and worked on creating a better path through the zone," Walding explained this week. Tracy and Ducey, who both spent time in Phils pinstripes, are now coaches at the minor league levels. Ducey, the hitting coach for Clearwater, seemed to take special interest in the 23-year-old Walding, hel

With a new season underway, the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws' pitching staff is being led this year by a brand new coach, former big leaguer Brian Sweeney . Following the 'Claws' home opener on Thursday, Sweeney sat down to talk about his pitching staff including prospects Tyler Gilbert , Franklyn Kilome , Alberto Tirado and several others. Read ahead for that full interview. Tyler Gilbert, image- Jay Floyd -Tyler Gilbert had some moments, despite taking the loss in the home opener. What are your thoughts on his outing? He was fantastic for four innings. I mean, I love what I saw. Four pitches for strikes, in command and attacking the zone. And the wheels fell off after a few hits in the fifth inning. You know, that’s unfortunate because he had a pretty good outing going for him. -Is Gilbert dealing with any changes, such as updates to his grips or repertoire after a successful debut as a pro last year? Yeah, everything’s— we’re always building. We’re buil

"C" Randolph, Image- Jay Floyd After starting the season with some struggles at the plate for the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws, last year's top Phillies draft pick Cornelius Randolph has maintained a positive approach. Fresh off a season-opening road trip that saw the 18-year-old go 2-for-28 (.071 avg) in six contests, the young man that goes by the nickname "C" was anxiously awaiting the moment when he would start shaking off some bad luck at the plate and seeing his efforts pay off. "In the box I feel good.  I mean, I'm seeing pitches early.  I'm taking good swings, I'm just not getting the results I want.  That's part of baseball.  It's gonna happen.  I'm not too much worried about it," Randolph stated in the home dugout at Lakewood's FirstEnergy Park prior to Thursday's home opener. After debuting as a pro last year, the five-foot-11 205-pound lefty batter looked sharp with the rookie level Gulf C

Entering his second season in the role, Class A Lakewood manager Shawn Williams took time to comment on various topics before and after the BlueClaws' home opener on Thursday. Read ahead for the skipper's remarks Jiandido Tromp, image- Jay Floyd Speaking about outfielder Jiandido Tromp , who got off to a hot start this season... He's just been having good at bats. Really battling with two strikes. He's been getting into hitters counts and he's not missing his pitch. You can just tell his whole mindset- he's on a mission right now. Commenting on backstop Deivi Grullon and if his improvements are a direct relation to repeating the level... I think it's a combination of a lot of things. You get older you get more mature, you get smarter, you keep learning the game and I think even a lot of times, like we saw last year with Tocci, guys coming back, you come back and it gives you some confidence and it gives you something to work for, because yo

Happy opening day (again), everyone! Regular season baseball is back in Philadelphia as today it gets underway for the 2016 season. For those that plan to be in attendance at Citizens Bank Park to see the Phillies take on the visiting San Diego Padres, here is the full list of festivities, so you don't miss a thing. 8:00 am - Majestic Clubhouse Store opens. 12:00 pm - Free Citizens Bank Way Opening Day Party including a live performance by Go Go Gadjet, a ferris wheel, a giant Anheuser Busch Bud and Burgers trailer and prizes and sampling from Turkey Hill ice cream, J&J Snack Food, Rita’s Italian Water Ice, Chick-Fil-A, plus more 12:35 pm - All gates open. All fans receive a Phillies Opening Day Commemorative Cap, compliments of Nemours 12:43 pm - Phillies batting practice

Thompson w/ Reading in 2015, image- Jay Floyd Phillies top pitching prospect Jake Thompson made his Triple-A debut in front of absolutely zero fans on Friday thanks to poor weather in New York state and a swift scheduling adjustment. With freezing temperatures and snowy weather besieging the Syracuse area in recent days, the affiliate of the Washington Nationals, the Chiefs, postponed the four-game set against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs that was slated to open the 2016 International League season. However, in order to get in some game action and keep their players active, the Chiefs agreed to play two of those games on the away from their home park. With such a short time frame to make the adjustment to both teams' plans, operationally, the IronPigs were not able to open the gates for any fans to attend. Playing a double header made up of two seven-inning games with the host club, the IronPigs, playing as the away team on Friday, the Chiefs handed top Phillies pitc

Dylan Cozens, image- Jay Floyd With spring winding down and the new baseball season on the horizon, players have come north for the final legs of the exhibition schedule. This weekend, a pair of top Phillies minor league outfielders, Dylan Cozens and Roman Quinn spoke with members of the media about various topics including opening the new season back with the Double-A Fightins. Cozens, the Phillies 16th ranked prospect , joined Reading late last season and proved to be a worthy contributor, helping the team reach the Eastern League finals. The powerful lefty batting 21-year-old posted a .350 average with three homers and nine RBI in 11 games after his promotion from High A Clearwater. Overall with the Threshers, prior to moving up, Cozens, the Phils' 2nd round draft selection in 2012, posted a .282 average with five home runs and 46 RBI in 96 games. Quinn, missed time last season following a quad injury, but posted excellent numbers (.306 avg, four HR, 15 RBI, 29 SB i

Jorge Alfaro, image- Jay Floyd READING- When the Phillies dealt star hurler Cole Hamels to Texas last summer a group of very promising players came back in return. With some standout names among those coming to the Phils, it was difficult to conclude who would be the prized get on that list. Catcher Jorge Alfaro , injured at the time of the deal, could emerge as that gem this year as a member of the Double-A Reading Fightins. Signed as an amateur free agent out of Colombia in 2010 at the age of 16, Alfaro had played third base and shortstop before turning pro. According the the talented youngster, the Rangers saw him throw from home plate to second base and signed him to become a catcher. During spring training, Alfaro got to bond with another foreign backstop who started as an infielder. That player is Carlos Ruiz , who played second base as an amateur. "It's nice to see someone that was an infielder and made it to the big leagues as a catcher for a lot of y

Ryan Howard, image- Jay Floyd READING- It is a mystery if the Phillies will win many more games than the MLB-worst 63 they notched last season, but it's clear that they could be dominant if they continue competing against minor leaguers after pounding their top prospects by a convincing 19-4 score. In the seven-inning exhibition, the big league club slammed eight home runs, four each off of right-handers Zach Eflin and Mark Appel . Eflin, who was acquired from the Dodgers two off-seasons ago in a trade for Jimmy Rollins , was charged with 12 runs (nine earned) on 11 hits while striking out two and walking one with a wild pitch in three innings of work. The 21-year-old declined to speak with media after the loss, but he and Appel (3 IP, 8H, 6R/6ER, 2K, 0BB, WP) did engaged in a little joke cracking at each other's expense on Twitter later in the evening. Each of the Phillies' eight home runs were launched by a different player. Odubel Herrera , Freddy Gal